Affordable landscapes

Do you need to landscape your yard, but are on a tight budget? Here is a way to do it for less. Buy smaller plants. No, I don’t mean that you should look for types of plants that grow small. I mean, look for plants in smaller containers.

Who says your landscape has to look fully grown when you plant it? Remember, that little starter plant is going to grow, too, and will fill your yard with beauty. Yes, it may take an extra year, but your pocket book will love you.

Explore plant stores and nurseries and find starter plants in small containers. Ask about ‘liners.’ A liner is a young plant that has been grown in a small container and is ready to ‘line’ out in rows. Large nurseries start thousands of plants in cell-flats and when these starts are well-rooted, line them out into the ground to grow larger before selling the bigger plants to you.

Naturally, the larger plant is going to cost the nursery more money and they pass that cost on to you. Short-cut the extra expense and buy liners for your landscape. They frequently survive better than larger plants and give you the same landscape satisfaction as larger plants if you are willing to wait that extra year. They make exactly the same growth in your yard as they would in the nursery field and you don’t have to pay the difference.